synonym = to look for

RE:
The word sought is past tense of a verb. what is the present tense of that verb and give a synonym for it?

A synonym could be ‘search’ or ‘request’ or even ‘strive’ or ‘endeavour’. This part of your question is tricky, because the verb ‘seek’ has many possible meanings.

search is a slightly better synonym.

but you could try these, when in doubt check the website as well

Synonyms for seek

Synonyms (Grouped by Similarity of Meaning) of noun seek

Sense 1

seek

=> movement, motion

————–

Synonyms (Grouped by Similarity of Meaning) of verb seek

Sense 1

seek

=> desire, want

————–

Sense 2

search, seek, look for

————–

Sense 3

try, seek, attempt, essay, assay

=> act, move

————–

Sense 4

seek

=> travel, go, move, locomote

————–

Sense 5

seek

=> request

Both “explained” and “gave” should be in past tense.